An 18-year-old man died as a result of a fire near Steger's business section that kept more than 10 fire departments busy early Monday.
Charles M. Brown, of Dyer, was found in the basement of the two-flat building, 112 Steger Road, after the fire was extinguished, Steger Police Chief Richard Stultz said.
"We beat on the doors when we arrived and got two people out of the upstairs apartment," Stultz said.
Authorities still are investigating the cause of the fire, which was called in at 12:53 a.m. and had engulfed the structure when police arrived, he said.
Steger Road was closed between Wallace and Butler streets because of ice that formed from the water used to fight the fire.
Multiple fire crews, including those from Steger, Sauk Village, Crete, Thornton, Beecher, South Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights and Park Forest, responded. Stultz couldn't say how long firefighters battled the blaze.
The building's landlord was remodeling the downstairs apartment and told police no one was supposed to be living there, Stultz said.
Brown had previously been found living there and told to leave, Stultz said.
